Macbeth and Macduff Comparison

William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth explores the power of two leaders who both fight for the path Scotland will take. Shakespeare creates a number of interesting characters; Macbeth and Macduff are two of those characters who are seen to be very much the same but also completely different. They are seen to be very similar in many aspects including their strong beliefs, the respect they have from other individuals and the way their minds operate. Throughout the play, Shakespeare reveals that these characters are as different as night and day; they are each viewed differently from each other by others and they both murder but they both do it for different reasons; Macbeth kills for greed and personal development whereas Macduff slays Macbeth to avenge his family and to defend the country.

As Macbeth and Macduff are compared, we see that they share many similarities. They are seen to be similar through the respect they both receive from others and this was shown at the beginning of the play when Macbeth was described as ‘valiant’ as well as ‘worthy’ by the king and, at the end of the play, Macduff was also shown to be admired after he had murdered Macbeth which then allowed Malcolm to become the rightful king. As we learn their thinking processes, we see how much their minds are alike as they are both highly driven for their passion and this tells us that they will do anything to fulfil their goals; this ambition that they have leads them to murder to overcome their obstacles or to complete their goals. This was portrayed when Macbeth stated “let not light see my black and deep desires” and when Macduff replies to Malcolm, “I will do so. But I must also feel it as a man”, through this response it is seen that he feels for his family and he will get his vengeance on Macbeth. It is evident that Macbeth and Macduff share numerous similarities and these are shown through the way Shakespeare presents them as respected soldiers who both have strong desires.

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